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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. root — of a plant
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. prune — to trim
  12. tube — a container
  13. key — for a lock
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. tube — the underground
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. root — of a word
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. key — in music
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. root — the cause

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com